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Scottish Sun
15-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Britain will pay with blood of its people if it doesn't wake up now – world must fear us, Penny Mordaunt warns
A second ex-defence secretary warned Putin will not be 'deterred by ambition' READY TO FIGHT Britain will pay with blood of its people if it doesn't wake up now – world must fear us, Penny Mordaunt warns Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BRITAIN will pay with the blood of its people if more money isn't spent to bolster the UK's defence, Penny Mordaunt has warned. The ex-defence secretary has urged the government to "wake up" and fund the UK's security properly before it's too late. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 British Army M270B1 Multiple Launch Rocket System firing the M31 GMLRS munition at a training drill in Lapland Credit: Ian Whittaker 6 British servicemen at the Steadfast Dart 2025 exercise, involving some 10,000 troops in three different countries from nine nations Credit: AP 6 Penny Mordaunt has urged the government to up its spending on defence Credit: PA Former Navy reservist Mordaunt argued that Britain is "emboldening our enemies" if we fail to invest in other forms of deterrence. She warned the consequences with be "incalculably grave" if the government does not open up the treasury purse. Ms Mordaunt told The Sun: "I'm confident that if you prepare for war, you invest in it, you train for it, then conflicts don't start. "Because your foes know it is not worth them doing that. They're going to lose. "The consequences of retaliation against them are too great." Ms Mordaunt's call was echoed by Sir Liam Fox - defence secretary from 2010 to 2011 - who warned the greatest threat to the UK right now comes from Russia. "Frankly, Putin is not going to be deterred by ambition," he told The Sun. "He's deterred by hard power." It comes as the government this month released its much-anticipated Defence Review, which provided a catalogue of recommendations on how to respond to external threats. The review - led by ex-Nato chief Lord Robertson - urges the UK to move to a position of "war-readiness". Britain is our enemy number one, Russians say as new poll puts UK above even Ukraine as Moscow's top foe This could be achieved through numerous commitments to scale up defence capabilities - including a £1.5 billion investment in an "always on" pipeline for munitions, the review said. But the Spending Review this week failed to fulfil the suggestions made by Lord Robertson - including to agree to Nato calls to ramp up investment to 3.5 per cent of GDP. US president Donald Trump previously demanded the UK boost defence spending to five per cent of GDP. It comes after Keir Starmer last week vowed to make Britain "battle-ready" and insisted the threat from Russia could not be ignored. Ms Mordaunt said: "The US President pressed us to go further. The Prime Minister said we needed to deliver on all fronts to keep Britian's people safe and their interests secure. "Not to do so would be a dereliction of his first duty. I was hopeful. "This week we discovered that, behind Treasury smoke and mirrors, defence will received nothing. "No extra funds, no plan to reach Nato's ask, no assurance to unlock industrial investment, no reassurance to donor allies like the US, or recipient allies such as Ukraine, that we are a serious partner. "The consequences of this are incalculably grave. High tax, high borrowing Labour is back By Jack Elsom, Political Editor ONE phrase that Rachel Reeves repeated four times cuts to the nub of her economic plans: 'These are Labour choices'. But not the cuddly, business-friendly Labour that we were promised before the election - instead the old-school variety of high taxes and high borrowing. Her £300billion spending hike means she can point to shiny news infrastructure projects and talk the language of 'renewal'. It is a high-stakes strategy designed to win over working class voters that Labour is bleeding to Reform, who Ms Reeves devoted time in her statement to attack. Many of those flocking to Nigel Farage do so out of growing despair that - in his words - 'Britain is broken'. It is why she made big plays on ploughing money into defence, the NHS and ending migrant hotels. But they won't thank the Chancellor if she is forced to put their taxes up even more in the Autumn… "If the Prime minister believed what he told us about the threats we face then government must alter its plans." It comes as threats to the UK's security loom large from rogue nations such as Russia. And meanwhile the Middle East sits on the brink of war, with Starmer moving military assets in after Israel and Iran fiercely clashed. Vladimir Putin continues to throw soldiers into his meatgrinder war in Ukraine which shows no sign of stopping after more than three years. The bloodthirsty tyrant has repeatedly threatened Western nations - including Britain - over their support of Kyiv. A series of suspicious incidents including undersea cables being cut in suspected sabotage attacks are also a real cause for concern. And this week, Britain was declared as Russia's enemy number one - even above Ukraine and the United States. Ms Mordaunt warned: "We need to wake up Europe and we need to wake up in Britain. "If we don't start funding these foundational capabilities, we are going to end up having to spend more money in the future. "And it won't just be money we're spending. It will be the blood of our own citizens because we'll be in a conflict somewhere." 6 Putin has repeatedly threatened the West Credit: Getty 6 Ukrainian servicemen of Khartya brigade operate a D-30 howitzer Credit: Getty Sir Fox - who praised Lord Robertson's "sensible" defence review - insisted defence is the "number one" job of the government. He added: "The problem is the same problem we've had for a long time, which is that the governments like to make a lot of noise about defence - but the treasuries don't open the cheque books. "There's a real problem in European governments in particular, which includes outs, that we enjoyed the peace dividend after the Cold War and thought it would last forever. "And therefore we could increase our domestic spending on welfare and everything else. And that's fine because the defence budget could stay much lower. "Well, defence is not a discretionary spend. "If they were useless at anything else, the one thing they have to be good at is protecting British citizens from outside threats. "And that means they have to spend whatever is necessary in response to that threat, not what they would like to spend in a perfect world." Putin's Ukraine war toll tops 1MILLION by Patrick Harrington and Sayan Bose PUTIN's battlefield casualties have soared past the bloody one million milestone after 40 months of a war he expected to win within days. Ukraine's fierce resistance has ensured Russia has paid a mighty toll for every inch of land it has taken, and its advances remain painfully slow. The staggering milestone includes troops who have been killed or wounded so severely that they cannot fight on. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, one million Russian military troops have been put out of action since February 24, 2022, with 628,000 of those casualties occurring in the last six months. Burning through a million troops has won Putin just 20 per cent of Ukraine's total territory - mainly in southern and eastern areas - which is a humiliating conversion rate. Despite the devastating losses which have already ripped a scar in Russian society, experts fear that Putin is likely unaffected by the numbers, because mass sacrifice is ingrained in his battle plan. READ MORE HERE
The Irish Sun
15-06-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Britain will pay with blood of its people if it doesn't wake up now – world must fear us, Penny Mordaunt warns
BRITAIN will pay with the blood of its people if more money isn't spent to bolster the UK's defence, Penny Mordaunt has warned. The ex-defence secretary has urged the government to "wake up" and fund the UK's security properly before it's too late. 6 British Army M270B1 Multiple Launch Rocket System firing the M31 GMLRS munition at a training drill in Lapland Credit: Ian Whittaker 6 British servicemen at the Steadfast Dart 2025 exercise, involving some 10,000 troops in three different countries from nine nations Credit: AP 6 Penny Mordaunt has urged the government to up its spending on defence Credit: PA Former Navy reservist She warned the consequences with be "incalculably grave" if the government does not open up the treasury purse. Ms Mordaunt told The Sun: "I'm confident that if you prepare for war, you invest in it, you train for it, then conflicts don't start. "Because your foes know it is not worth them doing that. They're going to lose. More world news "The consequences of retaliation against them are too great." Ms Mordaunt's call was echoed by Sir Liam Fox - defence secretary from 2010 to 2011 - who warned the greatest threat to the UK right now comes from Russia. "Frankly, Putin is not going to be deterred by ambition," he told The Sun. "He's deterred by hard power." Most read in The Sun It comes as the government this month released its much-anticipated Defence Review, which provided a catalogue of recommendations on how to respond to external threats. The review - led by ex-Nato chief Lord Robertson - urges the UK to move to a position of "war-readiness". Britain is our enemy number one, Russians say as new poll puts UK above even Ukraine as Moscow's top foe This could be achieved through numerous commitments to scale up defence capabilities - including a £1.5 billion investment in an "always on" pipeline for munitions, the review said. But the Spending Review this week failed to fulfil the suggestions made by Lord Robertson - including to agree to Nato calls to ramp up investment to 3.5 per cent of GDP. US president Donald Trump previously demanded the UK boost defence spending to five per cent of GDP. It comes after Keir Starmer last week vowed to make Britain "battle-ready" and insisted the threat from Russia could not be ignored. Ms Mordaunt said: "The US President pressed us to go further. The Prime Minister said we needed to deliver on all fronts to keep Britian's people safe and their interests secure. "Not to do so would be a dereliction of his first duty. I was hopeful. "This week we discovered that, behind Treasury smoke and mirrors, defence will received nothing. "No extra funds, no plan to reach Nato's ask, no assurance to unlock industrial investment, no reassurance to donor allies like the US, or recipient allies such as Ukraine, that we are a serious partner. "The consequences of this are incalculably grave. High tax, high borrowing Labour is back By Jack Elsom, Political Editor ONE phrase that Rachel Reeves repeated four times cuts to the nub of her economic plans: 'These are Labour choices'. But not the cuddly, business-friendly Labour that we were promised before the election - instead the old-school variety of high taxes and high borrowing. Her £300billion spending hike means she can point to shiny news infrastructure projects and talk the language of 'renewal'. It is a high-stakes strategy designed to win over working class voters that Labour is bleeding to Reform, who Ms Reeves devoted time in her statement to attack. Many of those flocking to Nigel Farage do so out of growing despair that - in his words - 'Britain is broken'. It is why she made big plays on ploughing money into defence, the NHS and ending migrant hotels. But they won't thank the Chancellor if she is forced to put their taxes up even more in the Autumn… "If the Prime minister believed what he told us about the threats we face then government must alter its plans." It comes as threats to the UK's security loom large from rogue nations such as Russia. And meanwhile the Middle East sits on the brink of war, with Starmer moving military assets in after Vladimir Putin continues to throw soldiers into his meatgrinder war in Ukraine which shows no sign of stopping after more than three years. The bloodthirsty tyrant has repeatedly threatened Western nations - including Britain - over their support of Kyiv. A series of suspicious incidents including undersea cables being cut in suspected sabotage attacks are also a real cause for concern. And this week, Britain was declared as Russia's enemy number one - even above Ukraine and the United States. Ms Mordaunt warned: "We need to wake up Europe and we need to wake up in Britain. "If we don't start funding these foundational capabilities, we are going to end up having to spend more money in the future. "And it won't just be money we're spending. It will be the blood of our own citizens because we'll be in a conflict somewhere." 6 Putin has repeatedly threatened the West Credit: Getty 6 Ukrainian servicemen of Khartya brigade operate a D-30 howitzer Credit: Getty Sir Fox - who praised Lord Robertson's "sensible" defence review - insisted defence is the "number one" job of the government. He added: "The problem is the same problem we've had for a long time, which is that the governments like to make a lot of noise about defence - but the treasuries don't open the cheque books. "There's a real problem in European governments in particular, which includes outs, that we enjoyed the peace dividend after the Cold War and thought it would last forever. "And therefore we could increase our domestic spending on welfare and everything else. And that's fine because the defence budget could stay much lower. "Well, defence is not a discretionary spend. "If they were useless at anything else, the one thing they have to be good at is protecting British citizens from outside threats. "And that means they have to spend whatever is necessary in response to that threat, not what they would like to spend in a perfect world." Putin's Ukraine war toll tops 1MILLION by Patrick Harrington and Sayan Bose PUTIN's battlefield casualties have soared past the bloody one million milestone after 40 months of a war he expected to win within days. Ukraine's fierce resistance has ensured Russia has paid a mighty toll for every inch of land it has taken, and its advances remain painfully slow. The staggering milestone includes troops who have been killed or wounded so severely that they cannot fight on. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, one million Russian military troops have been put out of action since February 24, 2022, with 628,000 of those casualties occurring in the last six months. Burning through a million troops has won Putin just 20 per cent of Ukraine's total territory - mainly in southern and eastern areas - which is a humiliating conversion rate. Despite the devastating losses which have already ripped a scar in Russian society, experts fear that Putin is likely unaffected by the numbers, because mass sacrifice is ingrained in his battle plan. READ MORE HERE 6
New Statesman
11-06-2025
- Politics
- New Statesman
Letter of the week: Building Britain's future
Photo by FPG / Archive Photos / Getty Images Anoosh Chakelian's Cover Story (6 June) depressingly explains how poorly houses are being built in the UK and how few protections buyers have. Setting this against the government's aim of building 1.5 million homes in its first term, the problem is even more concerning. House-building needs to be changed to meet that target and create better houses. We need to look more creatively at high-density housing to avoid acres of identikit suburbs. (One model could be the Montreal development, Habitat 67: rather than towers it formed a landscape of housing units, hills and vales.) We also need bigger houses to reduce the number of moves, so people can stay longer and build communities. Cladding in timber and materials other than brick would reduce cement manufacture and lock in carbon. Such changes would be a true revolution, make real change and reconfigure housing for a better future. It might even enable the government to build 1.5 million homes, some of them council houses. We need homes for the future, not houses looking back to the past. David Cockayne, Cheshire Home to roost Congratulations to Anoosh Chakelian for highlighting the lousy quality of much of our new housing (Cover Story, 6 June). We need to build many more new homes, particularly affordable ones. But the assumption that weakening the planning system will magic up the homes we need is deeply flawed. Planning liberalisation, promoted over the past 20 years by developer-funded think tanks, is viewed as a panacea by many on the centre-left. But as Chakelian suggests, we need more planning and better-enforced building standards, not less. Let's build – but let's build homes people will want to live in and ones we can be proud in years to come. Shaun Spiers, executive director, Green Alliance Stocks and scares The UK government, with its own currency, need not 'balance the books' (Leader, 6 June), as the late economist John Weeks and others have made clear. The 2008 crisis, for example, was born not from public debt but from the unbridled growth in private-sector debt. The warning sign was the acceleration in lending. Refusing to provide 'greater funding' is a political choice by Rachel Reeves. The Treasury has acknowledged there is no aspect of the government's banking arrangements that can prevent government expenditure from being realised once it has been authorised by parliament – with its large majority, it should be easy for Labour. The British government is not exposed to the risks of 'running out of money', defaulting on debt obligations, the sentiments of bond markets or a need to reduce levels of government debt below those demanded by the economy. The government can and should spend to invest. Angela Rayner's housing project would be a good place to start. David Murray, Wallington, Surrey In defence of Healey Jason Cowley rightly praises John Healey's personal integrity and his commitment, manifest in the Defence Review, to improving the living conditions and terms of service personnel (Newsmaker, 6 June). That is both right and fundamental: if service personnel are not looked after, they will – as they are at the moment – leave at a faster rate than recruitment can replenish. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe The Prime Minister may aim to turn the UK into 'a battle-ready, armour-clad nation'. But the resources that Healey will have at his disposable – 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 – will probably only, as the head of the German Armed Forces put it describing Olaf Scholz's similarly miserly defence increase, 'fill the potholes'. To meet our security and defence needs, as Cowley points out, will require something more akin to the proposed Nato targets: 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence, and a further 1.5 per cent on defence infrastructure, and it needs to happen sooner than sometime after 2030. Money, however, is not everything. If, as Keir Starmer said at Govan shipyards earlier this month, this is about 'everyone playing their role… Doing their duty to the nation and to each other to preserve our way of life' – a national effort, in other words – then a lot more storytelling will be required. The Prime Minister has lit the rhetorical touch paper. I'm not sure he is clear where the firework is going to go off. I wish John Healey luck. Simon Diggins, retired colonel, Rickmansworth Solving inequalities In his excellent letter in response to the Gordon Brown guest edit on child poverty, John Lowell asks 'What has happened?' (Correspondence, 6 June). The answer is quite simple: a huge growth in inequality. Richard Wilkinson has produced overwhelming evidence over the past 20 years that inequality is the main driver of most of our current societal crises: poverty, declining mental and physical health, homelessness and so on. The Tories and the right-wing media endorse growing inequality as a necessary corollary to higher economic growth. The rest of us know that this is false. And so do the OECD, the IMF and the World Bank. These bodies have publicly stated that growing inequality constrains growth. That makes reducing inequality an economic imperative, not just a moral one. I am certain Rachel Reeves knows this too. The challenge for the Labour leadership is how to combat the hysteria of the Daily Mail et al around the fear that, among other things, if we pursue redistributive policies, we might find billionaires fleeing from the UK. If the IMF does not see this as an economic problem, then why should we? Dick Brown, Buxted, East Sussex F-AI-rweather friend? I read Megan Nolan's article (Personal Story, 6 June) with interest and agreement. This new tech kid on the block has us all rattled, and not in a good way. Nolan is correct that no one wants an AI bot pretending to be their best friend. Friends in the real world offer sane and sensible advice, proffer help and bequeath solidarity when all the world appears to be against one. Nolan's own friendships, which she writes so well about, are down to Earth, proactive and sustaining, not like the sycophantic ones conceived in Silicon Valley. Judith Daniels, Norfolk Lawless lands Megan Gibson rightly states much more should have been done by the international community much earlier in respect to the Netanyahu regime's policy on Gaza (World View, 6 June). Israel has not just flouted international law, but violated the four fundamental aspects of it. These are the Genocide Convention; international humanitarian law (IHL), which covers war crimes; treaties concerning nuclear weapons, which cover the development, testing and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and the UN Charter on interventionist actions against sovereign states. The Genocide Convention, for example, condemns 'inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part'. And blockades that prevent the flow of medical and food supplies are in direct violation of IHL. International law either needs to mean everything or nothing. Failure to enforce it is a stain on the conscience of those with influence, just as their negligence (or complicity) has been from the onset. Jordan Scott, Newcastle upon Tyne Wealth vs health One can only share Rachel Clarke's incredulity and disgust at the deprioritisation of certain patients and agree with her that the NHS needs greater investment, not less (Health Matters, 6 June). The same applies to social care, especially for those with dementia. The government has announced instead another inquiry because it can't face up to the cost of fair and proper public provision. There is one obvious solution for these problems. The Chancellor should gracefully tell us that she only meant she would not increase taxes on working people, and that now is the time to tax wealth. Properly done, wouldn't that also be a way to solve a lot of other problems too? Michael Chanan, Windsor Rachel Clarke, in her profoundly sad but excellent article, uses one term with which I find myself in disagreement: 'deficit'. Deficit would be appropriate if the NHS were a business, but the clue is in the name. It is a 'service' and it is – and has been for years – underfunded. Were it a business, it wouldn't do hip replacements after old people break the neck of their femur; a business could say, 'Why bother, they're going to die soon anyway?' The NHS needs to be properly funded and we need to tell the truth about how that needs to be done: a properly calculated progressive system of taxation. I'm old enough to remember the time before the NHS. We do not want to go back to anything like that. Jim Maloney, Wigan Write to letters@ We reserve the right to edit letters [See also: Mike Berners-Lee: 'Being a billionaire can make people go nuts'] Related
The Herald Scotland
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Don't put Glasgow's heritage under threat by building high
The proposed policy of tower clusters in areas outside the immediate centre is flawed unless you have back-up transport infrastructure. Anybody who has been to New York will know that at rush hour all the skyscrapers discharge people onto the street so that within minutes you can hardly move. The difference is they have the bus and underground systems that can rapidly disperse this mass of people. On the Broomielaw I've seen people being discharged en masse from the high buildings along Atlantic Quay. They then try to cross to the Clyde Walkway whilst busy on their mobile phones. I've lost count of the near misses I've seen with buses. Read more: In economic terms, off-centre tall building clusters may attract new businesses to a deprived area but they also remove the clientele from the pubs and restaurants in the city centre. In extreme cases the latter will relocate. This may be good for regeneration but it's bad for critical mass. To make things worse, the student blocks I've seen are badly designed, with minimal space standards, if any. That makes them difficult to adapt to alternate uses. This is relevant because there are an estimated 16,000 student places in the planning pipeline yet the current predicted need is only for 6,000 places. With further restrictions on student immigration proposed, plus a decline in course options due to funding issues, then we are not only destroying the existing urban grain but we are also in danger of simply creating tomorrow's empty buildings. In urban design terms, setting the towers back from the street facade to minimise their visual dominance fails to take into account the need for firefighting and escape via the tower core. This will require a protected tunnel to the street, thereby fragmenting any retail space at ground level. Retailers like Primark prefer large open plan areas to provide maximum flexibility, so that's another negative. Building high is therefore not the answer. Renovate what's already there first. You can do that by getting the government to remove VAT on refurbishment in tandem with tax breaks. Then use these to provide the incentive for conserving Glasgow's unique heritage rather than put it under greater threat. Robert Menzies, Falkirk. Urgent case for defence reform Introducing the Defence Review, the Prime Minister repeated words he heard in HMS Vanguard: 'nothing works unless we all work together. Money is short. The Defence Secretary spoke of 'defence reform' and he should question the need for three services. Most of the RAF's 30,000 personnel are in the UK, as are most of its 500 aircraft (including 46 support aircraft, 37 helicopters, 160 trainers, 90 gliders). The RAF has 75% of all MoD aircraft and 50% of front-line aircraft, the other half Army or Navy. Only 20% of RAF personnel have flying duties, most of its 'aviators' are ground crew or support staff, yet 20% are officers – including 40 air marshals and 100 air commodores. Most RAF operations support land forces, some support Maritime Britain. With sixty uniformed personnel for every aircraft, trainer and glider, the £10bn+ a year RAF, with its ten display teams, seems over-manned and under-employed. In times of plenty all this may be justifiable – it's not today. Defence costs too much to maintain three services. Unsentimental re-organisation of HM Forces would help make them 'battle-ready', providing huge savings and advancing the government's 'Defence Dividend'. The two services would emerge leaner and more cost-effective and, importantly, be operationally more efficient with no loss of air capability. 'NATO first' would be better achieved by the UK being tasked as the principal maritime power in the eastern Atlantic, the land powers of the Continent providing the principal armies. The Defence Review should prompt radical change here and in NATO. Lester May (Lieutenant Commander, Royal Navy – retired), Camden Town, London. Great Scott? No, not really Far from wondering why people wouldn't thank you for a set of Scott's novels, most of which are currently gathering dust on library shelves, I am mystified by the fact that they were ever popular ('Scotland's greatest novelist is the Great Unread', The Herald Magazine, May 31.) Having read more of them than some of those who affect to esteem them are likely to have done, I can report that neglect is richly deserved. Rosemary Goring attributes the neglect to unfashionably great length, but this hasn't prevented Dickens from remaining popular with those who read books. Ms Goring concludes the article by saying that Rob Roy had her hooked from the opening page. If you, sir, were to print the opening paragraphs of Rob Roy, I feel sure that most readers would join me in marvelling that anyone could find this to be page-turning stuff. Scott compares to Dickens as Spenser does to Milton, Constable to Turner or Handel to Bach. Technically proficient though he was, his work belongs to its time, and no amount of harrumphing by aesthetic obscurantists will alter the fact he is now just a name in the history of literature. Robin Dow, Rothesay. Guiding Scotland to a really tough game Horray for Scotland's magnificent victory over Liechtenstein (population somewhat less than Greenock). Let's hope that they can keep up the momentum. Perhaps they could squeeze in another demanding friendly before the World Cup. Mosspark Girl Guides might provide suitable opposition. David Hay, Minard. * Whatever has happened to the Scotland team over the last 12 months? I know they had a few players missing through injury, that it has been a very long season, that the Iceland game last Friday was just a friendly, and that the substitute keeper has hardy played in months. Even so, it was a troublingly dire performance all round. Nothing can excuse it. R Mackenzie, Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Reporter
08-06-2025
- General
- Edinburgh Reporter
Princess Royal unveils final addition to The Royal Scots Monument
On Saturday HRH The Princess Royal, Patron of The Royal Scots Regimental Association, unveiled a bronze medallion containing a figurehead of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as a final addition to The Royal Scots Monument in Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh. The monument, originally unveiled on 26 July 1952, commemorates the service rendered by The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) to 16 monarchs from its founding in 1633 under a Royal Warrant from King Charles I until its amalgamation under Defence Review in 2006. The additional medallion marks the final monarch under whom the Regiment served. Her Royal Highness, accompanied by The Right Honourable Lord Provost and Lord Lieutenant of Edinburgh, Robert Aldridge was met by the Chair of the Regimental Trustees, Brigadier (retd) George Lowder, MBE, and by the Governor of Edinburgh Castle, Major General Robert Bruce, CBE, DSO. The unveiling was attended by many former Royal Scots and their families as well as members of The Royal Scots Club and representatives of The City of Edinburgh Council. A service of dedication was conducted by Reverend Dr Iain May, Chaplain to The Royal Scots Regimental Association. In 2007 The Princess Royal, who was the Regiment's Colonel in Chief from 1983 until 2006, graciously unveiled an addition to the monument to mark the Regiment's amalgamation, the final chapter in its history, and to acknowledge and commemorate the Regiment's 373 years of proud and loyal service to Crown and Country. After the unveiling, Her Royal Highness then spent time with former members of the Regiment before leaving for The Royal Scots Club in Abercromby Place where The Princess Royal took the salute at the Club's annual ceremony of Beating Retreat. Brigadier George Lowder, Chair of the Regimental Trustees, said: 'The Royal Scots have always been, and continue to be, very proud of their long service to Crown and country which is commemorated on this monument. 'Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the last Sovereign under whom the Regiment served, appointed HRH The Princess Royal to be Colonel in Chief of The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) in 1983. We have been greatly honoured, therefore, that The Princess Royal, whose long and continued connection with the Regiment we cherish, has unveiled this final addition to our monument today.' HRH The Princess Royal unveils the final addition to The Royal Scots monument in Princes Street Gardens HRH The Princess Royal unveils the final addition to The Royal Scots monument in Princes Street Gardens HRH The Princess Royal unveils the final addition to The Royal Scots monument in Princes Street Gardens accompanied by George Lowder and The Rt Hon Lord Provost HRH speaks with the Chelsea Pensioners who were in Edinburgh for the occasion HRH The Princess Royal unveils the final addition to The Royal Scots monument in Princes Street Gardens accompanied by Brigadier George Lowder and Reverend Dr Iain May HRH The Princess Royal sharing a joke in Princes Street Gardens See all the photos from the Beating Retreat here. Beating Retreat © 2025 Martin McAdam Like this: Like Related
